C. R. H. v. B. F.

In this contested adoption case, father appeals from an order allowing stepfather to adopt mother and father’s two daughters. He argues that the trial court erred in finding that he had willfully deserted the children or had neglected to provide proper care and maintenance for them without just and sufficient cause for more than a year before the filing of the petition. ORS 109.324. We review the record in a contested stepparent adoption proceeding de novo to determine whether the parents who petitioned to adopt a child have established, by clear and convincing evidence, a ground for…